NAME:
Steve Adams
SCHOOL:
Shawnee Mission South High School
CLASS:
Band Director
SCHOOL PHONE:
993-7572
I have been the director of the SM South band since 1986-87. Previous
to that, I was the band director in Baldwin, Kansas, grades 5-12. My
undergraduate and graduate degrees are from the University of Kansas.
I graduated from Shawnee Mission South in 1979. Playing trombone in
the South bands was the foundation for a great high school experience. I
learned at that time how important great music, student leadership
opportunities, and the team work that is essential for a quality band were
to my development. I knew that they would be the central emphasis of my
teaching. I dreamed of working at a school like South someday. Dreams do
come true.
I still put a great priority on performing. I have been principal
trombonist with the Philharmonia of Kansas City since 1983. This is a semi-
professional orchestra that includes some of the finest musicians in KC.
Every rehearsal is an education for me.
My top priority is my family. My wife, Shari, is also a SMS graduate
from 1979. She has always been so supportive and helpful with my band
addiction. She is the greatest band trip chaperone on the planet. Together,
we do our best to keep up with the many interests and activities of our
wonderful daughter and son; Megan and Tom. I'm so proud of them. Megan is
in her final year at KU pursuing majors in Political Science and
International Studies in the Honors program. She will also earn a minor in
Chinese. Busy girl! She had an amazing experience doing an internship at a
think tank called The Center For American Progress in Washington DC
in the Spring of 2010 and spent the summer of 2011 with an internship for
Chinese/American buisness relationships in New York. Tom's passion is
soccer. After a great high school career where he was the top scorer in the
history of Blue Valley HS and a member of Sporting Kansas City's U18
Academy team. He is playing Division I soccer at Oral Roberts University in
Tulsa. His major is engineering.
Additional staff working with the South bands are Chris Kohl, Megan
Earney, Pete Lepley, Sarrah Cantrell and Niko Platko.
Chris is also a SMS graduate, class of '78. We've known each other
since grade school. His primary responsibilities are the elementary
bands in our area but he is very involved in all activities of the South
Band. He has been on the staff since 85-86. Chris is very active as a
coach, ump, and fan of baseball. He is also an avid bicyclist and quite a
pianist and trumpeter. The Royals call on him regularly to play the National
Anthem at the start of their games at Kauffman stadium.
Megan Earney is the director of the Indian Woods Middle School band
which is the only middle school to feed SMS. Under Megan's teaching, the
IW's band is considered one of the finest middle school programs in the
region. The ties continue. after being hired while in college to work with
the marching band for two years, Megan student taught at SMS and IW.
Besides being an excellent teacher, Mrs. Earney is a competitive marathon
runner and a fine trumpet player. Megan finished 2nd in the Kansas City
Marathon and won the St. Louis Marathon! These were the first
two marathons she had run and she hasn't stopped since. Megan's husband,
Wayne, is always their to support Megan in her dual passions of teaching and
running.
Niko Platko teaches psychology at SMS and chips in with the
marching band as his schedule allows. He is also the sponsor of the
school's enormous Pep Club and is one of the most vibrant faculty
personalities at the school. Niko was our Field Captain and an all-
state french horn player while a student at South back in the '90s. He
coaches our drum majors.
Pete and Sarrah coach the percussion section. They are both graduates
of SMS and two of the finest percussionists that have ever come through the
program. I'm very excited to have these outstanding young people passing on
their knowledge to "the new crop" of percussionists at South.
The mission of all South band classes is to foster a love of music
through understanding and performance. There will be a strong emphasis on
quality literature and high expectations of students in regards to
preparation, performance, and working as a team. Students will be given
many significant leadership and decision making opportunities, and thus much
responsibility toward the success of the program.
